


The Ashes of Time

by lonecenturion (phoenix_53017)



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Background Relationships, Developing Relationship, Everything Hurts, F/M, Heavy Angst, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Timeline Shenanigans, Timey-Wimey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-19
Updated: 2014-07-18
Packaged: 2018-02-09 11:48:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1981866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenix_53017/pseuds/lonecenturion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When two Timelords fall in love, managing timelines becomes insignificant</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Celestial Wheel of Fortune

Amy and Rory had wanted to go to “nicer, calmer places” for a few days with emphasis on not wanting to always be running away from something and nearly dying trying to get back to the Tardis. It was mostly Rory who wanted to go to a calm place, as expected.  
Reluctantly, the Eleventh Doctor agreed and decided to drop them off at a resort, promising to come back in two weeks before setting off again.   
It was the first time in a while since he was alone in the Tardis and he wanted to make the most of his time, even though it meant he too couldn’t go somewhere dangerous.   
As much as he boasted about being an all-powerful Timelord, Eleven admitted privately that having a companion or two eased the load sometimes and it kept him from going completely mad (most of the time).  
He played with the idea of going to Earth since it had been over a month since being there, but he couldn’t decide where and when he should visit his favorite planet.   
So, he decided to leave his celestial destination up to the time machine he resided in.   
Leaning against the console after flipping a few switches, Eleven looked up and shouted, “Okay sexy, take me wherever you want! Just let it be entertaining enough for two weeks!”  
At that command, the Tardis rattled and Eleven held into the console with a joyous smile before the ship spun through the Vortex.  
“Geronimo!” 

\------------------------------------------------------------

The Tenth Doctor was exhasperated. Martha was asleep in her room, exhausted after they had just barely made it into the Tardis and safely escaped another planet.  
A planet that had just sent the Doctor a message telling him how he could no longer seek refuge there after Martha had offended the leader’s wife (accidentally).  
“Blimey….I need a vacation.” With that, Ten set the course for 21st century Earth to take Martha back home for a short while so that they could both have a break.  
The Tardis began whirling and Ten held onto the railing with white knuckles while Martha stumbled out of her room.  
“Where are we going, Doctor? Are you taking me home?” He couldn’t tell what her tone was over the noise, but he hoped it was relief as they began going through the Vortex.  
“Yes, for a few weeks. I think some time with your family will do you a bit of good,” the Doctor explained in a near shout. Martha grabbed onto the railing as things got shakier before shouting her agreement.  
Once they were out of the Vortex and landed, Martha went back to her room to pack, leaving Ten alone in the control room again.  
He finger-combed his hair and went down to open the Tarids doors. Breathing in the Earth air, he smiled a little. It had been weeks since he last saw Earth and it felt good to be back on familiar ground.  
“Alright, Doctor, I’ll see you in a few weeks, yeah?” Martha asked as she stepped out of the Tardis, a suitcase in hand and a smile. The Doctor nodded with a faint smile back as he watched his companion go off.  
Once he deemed her safe, Ten went back inside the Tardis and began flipping switches.   
“Right…let’s see where we’ll go, shall we? Anywhere and everywhere.” The ship gave a whirl and he grabbed onto the control panel as he went through the Vortex again.  
“Allons-y!”


	2. Here You Are and Here I Am

One thing about being a Timelord, you could always tell when there’s another one close by. Things change quickly and harshly. The air itself feels different, more pungent somehow. It’s difficult to describe to a human what sensing another Timelord is like as every sense is engaged in identifying and locating the other.  
The moment Eleven stepped out of the Tardis, he was taken back at the sudden bombardment to his senses. It had been quite some time since he last felt this and it filled him with anxiety and elation.  
A Timelord. On Earth.  
The odds were in the far-fetches of space and it took all of his self-control to not jump with glee, even though he couldn’t tell yet who the Timelord –or Lady– actually was.  
“Thank you, Ol’ Girl, you’ve found me someone to talk to!” He patted the side of the Tardis affectionately before setting off to take in his surroundings.  
The Tardis had landed in some woods, seemingly just off a well-worn trail, and the Doctor nodded in contentment. No need to worry about hiding his blue box.  
He walked over to the trail and looked around. Smelling and tasting the air, he determined it was the early 20th century Americas. Where and when specifically, he couldn’t tell due to the smell and taste of the fellow Timelord diluting his senses a tad.   
“Right…let’s find you so I can yell at you for messing up my sense of time and place…” Eleven mumbled to himself before setting off in the direction he sensed the other.

\--------------------------------------------

“Woo…been a while since this has happened…” Ten commented as he stepped out and smelled the air, blinking several times at the strong odor. He licked his lips and winced at the strong aftertaste. “Can’t even pinpoint a year with this stench in the air. The ‘20’s? Maybe?”  
He didn’t take his trench coat as it wasn’t cold, but he did adjust his brown suit before he locked the Tardis and started his walk. The Tardis was deep in some woods, close to what appeared to be an untouched pond, so he didn’t feel the need to move the box to a safer location.  
Ten walked until he hit upon a trail, following the lead he had on the other Timelord. Normally, he would have been more cautious since meeting the Master once again, but he could tell this wasn’t the Master and so he surged forward.  
He broke into a jog, relishing in the feel of Earth’s nature before it got too damaged. Being surrounded by lush greenery brought a smile to his face as it always had and he almost didn’t notice the figure running towards him.  
If it weren’t for his heightened senses, Ten was sure he would’ve collided with the stranger. However, he stopped short and gasped when he realized that this was the Timelord he was looking for due to his senses jumping in sensitivity at being in such close proximity.  
The other man stopped and stared at him, most likely trying to identify him just like Ten was doing. Ten figured that calling himself the Doctor wouldn’t help in this situation, considering all the baggage the name came with.  
He extended his hand in typical Earth greeting. “John Smith.”

\-------------------------------------

John Smith. What a stupid alias.  
Eleven shook the other man’s hand with a nod and replied, “Sherlock Holmes.”  
The other Timelord snorted a laugh and let go of Eleven’s hand.  
“That’s a terrible alias!” John Smith exclaimed as he tried to contain his laughter.  
“Well so is John Smith! Who the bloody hell gives themselves the most common name in all of human existence?” Eleven replied, already flustered as he looked up at the taller man.  
“Sherlock Holmes? One of the most popular fictional characters of all time? Haven’t you considered that in the era we’re currently in that the books are already out and people will think you’re daft for calling yourself that?” Smith argued, though he still maintained an amused look.  
The Doctor crossed his arms and huffed quietly, “Fine, you can call me Eleven.”  
“I think I’d rather call you Chinny. Seriously, mate, have you seen your chin?” The other Lord grinned and lightly tapped Eleven’s chin, much to the shorter man’s chagrin.  
“Well look at you! What are these sandshoes you’re wearing?” The Doctor pointed down at the other’s shoes in question before shaking his head in amusement.  
“They are not sandshoes! And what about this bowtie you’re wearing? Who wears bowties by choice?” Smith questioned as he reach out to flick at Eleven’s red bowtie.  
Eleven crossed his arms and glared at the other.  
“Bowties are cool!” He declared.

\---------------------------------------

“Keep telling yourself that, Chinny,” Ten said with a shake of his head before smiling again. Whoever this Timelord really was, he was a great source of entertainment.  
Eleven sighed and closed his eyes, apparently tired of the teasing already.  
“But really…who are you?” The shorter man asked in a murmur, keeping his eyes closed.  
“I’m…” Ten bit his tongue, feeling a sharp sense of panic course through him. What could he tell this man? If the other man knew who he really was –Destroyer of Worlds, the Oncoming Storm, a renegade Timelord– then he might try to kill him or worse.  
“Well, who are you? You almost ran into me!” Ten countered, wanting the subject off of him before he gave away too much.  
“I asked you first! What are you afraid of?” Eleven fired back, opening his eyes and Ten stepped back when he saw the green flames there. Whoever Eleven was, he didn’t seem pleasant when he didn’t get an immediate answer.  
“Well fine then! I’m the Doctor! The Oncoming Storm and all that mess,” Ten replied with a wave of his hand in a dismissive gesture, looking away from Eleven.  
“You–what? What?” stuttered Eleven, prompting the Doctor to look back at him.  
“What?” He asked mockingly.  
“But I’m the Doctor!”

\----------------------------------------

Smith–or apparently one of his incarnations–stared at him, mouth agape.  
“You? The Doctor? You with your silly little bowtie? You’re me?” The taller man asked, his voice full of disbelief.  
Eleven crossed his arms again, getting into a defensive posture.  
“If you’re the Doctor, then the universe should be exploding–again–because we shouldn’t be running into each other.”  
“Prove to me you’re the Doctor. Show me your Tardis,” The other man demanded.  
“How do I know you won’t try to kill me?” Eleven was distrustful by nature and wasn’t about to let this man take any chances on his life.  
The brown-eyed man held out his arms and smirked.  
“What can I possibly do to you, All Mighty Timelord?” He asked Eleven mockingly.  
The Doctor just rolled his eyes and offered, “Show me your Tardis first. I do believe you are the younger one.”  
The taller Lord gave him a look of confusion as he lowered his arms.  
“And what makes you say that?”  
Eleven gave him an amused look and replied, “You just smell younger. Wonder if you taste like it too.”  
He watched the other visibly be taken aback by his statement. Eleven usually wasn’t a flirt, but then again the entire situation was unusual.  
“Right…well, I’ll show you then!” Recovering quickly, the other man turned away from Eleven before adding, “Allons-y!”  
The amused expression fell from Eleven’s face at the phrase and he was hit with a faint memory of first hearing that phrase…while being his previous incarnation, the one leading Eleven to his Tardis.  
“Blimey, he really is me,” Eleven muttered to himself as he quickly broke into a jog to catch up to his previous incarnation and his much longer legs.

\-------------------------------------

“Here she is! My girl,” Ten stated as he patted the door to the Tardis fondly with one hand while the other unlocked the door.  
“Chameleon Circuit broken?” Eleven asked him as they went inside.  
“Stopped trying to fix it long time ago,” Ten replied before turning around and making a grand gesture to show off his control room.  
Eleven seemed unimpressed, which bothered the Doctor for some reason. Even if Eleven was him, he should still be somewhat impressed with the beauty of the Tardis.  
“So,” the other man began, “Who is your companion?”  
Ten ran his fingers through his hair and mumbled, “Martha. She’s not here right now, I dropped her off on Earth.”  
He heard Eleven hum thoughtfully before approaching him carefully.  
“Martha Jones. First companion after Rose left, right?” Damn Eleven for not even attempting to appear humble in his guess.  
However, it didn’t matter to Ten now since he was positively startled.  
“You…you are me…aren’t you?” He asked softly, trying to conceal how afraid he was. The universe might actually be ripping apart as they spoke, even if they didn’t notice it right away.  
Eleven gave him a smug grin, much like the one Ten sported earlier.  
“Yes, I am. Afraid, Doctor?”


End file.
